In 44 booths across 19 districts in Tamil Nadu, it was found that the presiding officers failed to clear the mock poll data before commencing the actual voting.

The Election Commission has directed the Chief Electoral Officer to count only the VVPAT vote slips in 44 polling booths, spread across 13 districts in the State, where presiding officers failed to clear the mock poll data from the control units but had removed the VVPAT vote slips.

In all these booths, EVM votes will not be counted.

In its communication to the CEO, the EC said that the counting of VVPAT vote slips was in addition to the random counting of VVPAT vote slips as prescribed by the Commission through its instruction issued in April.

Under the random counting of the VVPATs, five units in each of the Assembly constituencies are to be taken up.

The EC also directed the CEO to inform all Returning Officers concerned about the decision and instruct them to act accordingly.

The EC decision follows a report from the CEO last month stating that mistakes were observed in 46 polling booths across the State.

On being informed about the mistakes in 46 polling booths, the EC on Wednesday announced a repoll in three polling booths of these 46 booths where the mistakes had been found. It also announced a repoll in 10 polling booths where cases of booth capturing and technical defects in EVMs had been observed during the polling on April 18.

A total of 11,345 electors are attached to these 13 polling booths, which are going for repoll on May 19. The EC has ordered wide publicity in the areas of the polling stations concerned. and also directed the CEO to inform political parties and candidates in writing about the fresh poll.

The three polling booths out of 46 polling booths, which are going for repoll are: Panchayat Union Elementary School at Thirumangalam in Kangeyam Assembly segment in Erode Parliamentary constituency, Kammavar Saraswathi Middle School at Balasumudram in Andipatti Assembly segment and Sankaranarayana Middle School at Vadugapati in Periyakulam Assembly segment.